From Wikipedia
Calan MaiIn Wales, May 1 is a holiday customary as Calan Mai or Calan Haf, which trail the opening day of summer. Merriment start on the nightfall in advance, customary as May Eve, with bonfires; as with Calan Gaeaf, the night in advance (Nos Galan Mai) is an Ysbrydnos, or "spirit night," for example spirits are out and about and foresight is latent. The tradition of enlightenment bonfires celebrating this headlong happened annually in south Wales until the vital of the 19th century. It is the Welsh analogous of the Goidelic Beltane and one of a individual of muggy May Day traditions in Europe.
==Customs==.
On Nos Galan Mai or May Eve, villagers return hawthorn (draenen wen, fair and square whitethorn) brushwood and vegetation which they would subsequently use to beauty the outer walls of their houses, celebrating new increase and effectiveness.
In Anglesey and Caernarvonshire it would be community on May Eve to control gware gwr gwyllt (playing straw man) or crogi gwr gwellt (hanging a straw man). A man who had lost his darling to dissimilar man would make a man out of straw and put it someplace in the zone of everywhere the girl lived. The straw man represented her new darling and had a perceive pinned to it. Frequently the standing led to a claim together with the two men at the May Slight.
Survival the time together with Summer and Coldness, Calan Mai would be the time to subdivision a con claim together with the two seasons. The man communicative Coldness carried a cargo space of blackthorn (draenen ddu) and a protection that had pieces of joke blocked on it to unkind snow. The man communicative Summer was festooned with garlands of vegetation and streamer and carried a willow-wand which had fountain vegetation coupled on it with streamer. A con contest took place in which the armed forces of Coldness threw straw and dry brushwood at the armed forces of Summer who retaliated with birch brushwood, willow (helygen) rods, and first ferns (rhedyn). At last the armed forces of Summer would win and a May Ruler and Ruler were fixed and crowned, in the past which nearby was feasting, dancing, games and eating until the flanking daybreak.
May Day was the time that the twmpath chwarae was lawfully opened. The Welsh analogous of the Irish ceili is a twmpath. In the course of the summer months in some Welsh villages, the kingdom would return on the twmpath chwarae, (fair and square, tump for playing), the neighborhood green, in the evenings to transfer and libretto a lot of sports. The green was normally situated on the top of a slope and a stack was finished everywhere the fiddler or harpist sat. Sometimes brushwood of oak festooned the stack and the kingdom would transfer in a circle almost it.
Dawnsio haf, summer dancing, was a precise of the May Day celebration, as was carolau Mai, May carols, as well customary as carolau haf, summer carols or canu dan y pared, live under the wall (songs instinctive habitually of a rude or sexual nature). The singers would spend time at families on May daybreak accompanied by a harpist or fiddler, to wish them the good wishes of the jazz up and create ornament to "the plentiful bringer of all good gifts." If their live was anxiety picking, they would be remunerated with grub, cocktail, and by chance money.
Undivided food and drink at home Calan Mai riotous behavior were metheglin or mead. Sometimes it was finished of herbs, amid woodruff, a scented herb which was habitually put in wine in mature clear of to make a man up and act as a refreshment for the epitome and liver. Elderberry and rhubarb wines were hip and the men as well liked a lot of beers.
